How to setup a click track and backtrack through mixer

Here's a tutorial on my way of setting a click track and back track through a mixer for in ear monitors and FOH.
There are multiple ways of doing it but this is one way I have found that works easiest for me and gives me more options to play with.
Here's a link to the products I use in this video.
Mixer- www.behringer.com/EN/Products/...
DI Box - www.google.com/shopping/produ...
Guitar cable - www.guitarcenter.com/Gear-One-...
Male 1/8" TRS to Dual XLR Male - www.amazon.com/Seismic-Audio-S...

[@MarkStanford]

Very quick and to the point tutorial without hearing someone's life story and a rundown on all the equipment they have in their entire studio! Well done.

[@ctrprog]

This video needs to be Emmy nominated for being the most comprehensive, straight to the point and illustrative instructional video on the entire internet. I absolutely love the way that it was descriptive, intended and articulate. It is almost a masterpiece for technical visual Direction and gives somebody an exact synopsis of “what-to-do”. Five Stars, Bravo. Goodnight.

[@Alexdrum18]

CROSSING THE RUBICON lol Thanks!!

[@RyanArnoldOfficial]

I couldnt agree more. This is a fantastic video!

[@KikiPadilla]

YOU ARE THE MAN! Thank you SO damn much. I've been looking everywhere for this explanation!

[@trichard1968]

Ta, I'm with the others who have been looking for an informative video on how to do bands with tracks and clicks. great job

[@dozer5000]

Amazing!!! I have been looking for this exact solution for a while now. Thank you very much for the vid and the info!

[@The_Eldest_Millenial]

Even in 2020, this is useful. Thank you sir!

[@timedelmann1843]

Thank you! Can't tell you how much that helped me, honestly

[@francisfernandezcappola]

@Alexdrum18 thank you so much bro. I was looking for something like this for a long time.

[@randymccurdy8]

This is such a great and helpful video thank you so much!!!!

[@alexrunk2749]

Dude thank you SO much for making this video

[@Inspired_rider]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! You just made my life easier!

[@shanesetosta4w]

Thank you very much for this man!! i'll try this to our church

[@darkdaysfall3391]

very helpful video sir. maybe i can get my band's backing tracks sounding better now.

[@samxma]

lol at 5:22 a cat tries to get in the shot and he just pushes it away

[@terrymiller111]

He doesn't let pussy distract him from his work.

[@brandonlabajo6777]

that makes sense, thank you

[@ed6862]

Excellent thank you!

[@lau_dhondt]

Thanks man!

[@danielmoraes7913]

Thanks a lot !

[@DreamingDead]

Thanks for the great video! I'm curious how you mixed the click and backing track in your daw. I'm unsure how you were able to split each track individually with one 1/4 cable via your iPod.

[@deanhatfield514]

The only way I can truly trust my click to not bleed through is to run my backing track out of something with a L and R output like a stand alone cd or minidisc player...........I use a Roland TM-2 module with an SD card with all my tracks on it and set up my mixer the same way you do.Great video!

[@hanifzahirul]

Great tutorial! Thanks! Still wondering though, can I hear the click and the other instruments and the vocal on my ear monitors?

[@filsolano5465]

Nice set up. Very informative. Thank you. Question, what device are you using for your actual click? Solid state metronome? Or an actual app?

[@alexwaters9639]

hey dude! this was the most helpful video ive seen, all those forums online just confuse me with all those words. I have this exact same mixer but I have been having so many problems with hearing click come out of the speakers. im going to go get a di box and a small guitar cable and try sending the backing tracks through the AUX out and hopefully that solve my problem! I do have one question though does it matter if my channel splitting is two 1/4 inches instead of male XLRs or no? thanks dude! seriously so helpful!!!!

[@Alexdrum18]

Nope shouldn't matter.

[@juanmusic3623]

Dude thanks a lot for the info man! Could you ellaborate on how to make those pans in a Daw? Or do you have any video on that topic?

[@duncanhazlewood8045]

Helpful video. Is there a way to daisy chain mini mixers like this so that 3 band members could use headphones and hear one person's click track all synced? I want to run ARPs and delays using MainStage and sync them to a click that others can hear (lead guitar/vox, drummer, me - keys), but we can't afford a whole Axiom IEM setup. We *could* all have one earbud and hear the click that way. Thanks for sharing your experience. Trying to find creative solutions here.

[@kokodrilito]

Excellent! Question, can i use cable from my track source to the mixer but the 1/4" ones? what would be the difference between using 1/4" cable and mic cable?

[@MattMaloneMD]

Great video Alex, just what I need. Could you let me know the make of your DI box, as the link seems to be broken now?

[@brucew.5177]

Nice Video Alex . . . I was wondering what has changed since you made this one . . . Is there another that you would recommend ? Thanx

[@markspence7853]

Thank you..

[@HumanityLevel]

So how would a wireless in-ear monitoring transmitter tie into this? Would I need a mixer with more XLR ports? We'd like the band to be able to hear our click track as well as our backing tracks along with the stage mix. If that makes sense.

[@dominvsmalvs]

Thank you so much for the explanation! I was wondering what I'd need to do if I wanted to give the backing track to the singer on top of all this. Is it possible with this same mixer and setup, or would I need to do something else? Thanks in advance for the reply!

[@addictedtragedyx]

In this case you would want a mixer that had multiple aux sends that you can send to the singers wired/wireless in ear system.

[@x6s6]

I use a Digitech Jam Man Sampler/Looper for tracks. You don't need to go in and edit the samples with a click, it's already in the unit. And you can control it with your feet. Only problem is if a song changes time signature throughout you can't change the click to accommodate. Good for pop/rock, bad for prog.

[@vittoriaeterna]

Great video, but on the stores there are only 6 inches patch cables. The only "6 in. instrument cable" is the one you are using. Any opinions?

[@IgoRthethrasher]

Is there any particular reason to connect the source of the signal to XLR sockets instead of jack? I am asking because the 2x mono jack to 1x stereo mini jack cable is a lot more common and cheaper as well.

[@lukelevenson3808]

I'm so green to using backing tracks/sequences, so please excuse my utter ignorance. hugely helpful video, I'm just wondering...it seems like both your signals (track, click) are hooked up to the speaker system, and I understand how you have control of each of them, but how do you SEPARATE the signals you want going to the speakers and the signals you want going to your in-ears? obviously, when you turn up the click volume you don't want it to come out of the speakers. How do you make it so it's just going to your in-ears?

[@curtisburns]

Is it necessary to pan the tracks on the mixer? The fx send should be pre fader. And is the DI also necessary? The fx send is already line level. Wouldn’t a trs to male xlr do the job?

[@kernelxsanders]

With the backtrack panned to one side, that means FOH either gets one channel or mono tracks? What I'm getting at is you can't give FOH stereo backtracks with this method?

[@jedvillones]

Hi. Just want to ask if we can pan center the backing track when in a DAW and the click track on the left. Will the FOH get a stereo backing track?

[@jacintopilato4573]

Hi Alex, please help me figure out my problem in my setup. I do exactly what you have taught in this video. Panning click to the left and backing track to the right. But the click won't be heard unless I turn up the FX volume which is obviously wrong because it will be heard on the mix. Why is this happening?

[@JacksonWhyte]

What about for a vocalist, is there a way where i can have the Click, and some Vocals in my ears using this mixer

[@mrb3888]

Two questions man, first, for the splitter, I have an 1/8th (headphone jack) to two 1/4 inch plugs. Does it make a difference if I use xlr like you are or is it okay to use the quarter inch?

[@orie1723]

are you able to control the volume of the track that's coming out of the house speakers as well?

[@skaterkez123]

will the audio/click on the backing track only come through one headphone as its completely panned? or will my click track come through both ears? I would prefer my click to come through both headphones rather just my left or right side

[@brunotech877]

Conect to Mixer input to xlr low Z the cable to send iPod prosessing to Direct in box?

[@seancook2472]

my tracks have a chopped up guitar part in the intro that pans left and right. How do I manage to get those in both monitors instead of one?

[@jwknighton]

Thanks Alex, do you use an Active or Passive Di ?

[@zakkattack99]

Any benefit of all this over just using a breakout cable(with mono to stereo)?

[@Alexdrum18]

Alex5000 more control of what you are sending to the FOH and what you getting to your in ears

[@IgoRthethrasher]

Another question is if the click on headphones will be played on both channels or on the left channel only with this configuration?

[@danjordan3977]

Great video Alex, thank you so much ! Quick question (sorry in advance - this may be an obvious/dumb thing to ask but, I'm not to up on the technical side); Does this mean that the backing-track that is being sent to the front monitors/audience, will not be stereo? I kinda want my backing-track instruments panned to create the illusion of a "real band" on stage. Is there of sending a stereo mix to the front whilst having a click/mono mix in your ear? (I'm the only one who needs a click)? Thanks in advance for the advice :)

[@elkapath]

What wire do i need to plug in to send the blue wire you dont show

[@growponics9170]

Not sure if you still respond to these, but is that 1/8 to XLR splitter, a L/R splitter(left in one input and right side in the other input) or are you doing that within the mixer? Thanks

[@sampb0906]

Can i do this with a focusrite 18i8 audio interface for recording purposes do you know how that works ?

[@HorrorKidd88]

I see the Y cable (maleXLR channels 1 and 2), and that goes back to the 1/8in connector to the iphone. What is the source of the click? Is your iphone playing 2 synchronized tracks (bcktrack and click) ? and if so, how is it splitting the click and backing track?

[@levitch]

Thanks for this. How would you set it up if I needed a different balance of click / backing track than someone else in the band. (i.e. I want more click and a bit of track, but the singer wants more track and less click)

[@ChadVanHalen5150]

+steve matylewicz This is for the least amount of people needing in ears... The drummer. You'd need a mixer with more channels you guys can put your in ears through and control levels and such

[@uthaungshwe6393]

Thanks u just give me a light !!!

[@xx801cloudxx]

I looked through the comments and couldnt find anyone with my problem so ill ask. I purchased the same mixer used and when i connect the adapter to use my headphones i have to find a sweet spot for both the adapter and heaphones to work. I tried a different adapter and a different set of headphones. Have you had this problem before? Thanks!

[@ivancillovelazquez]

How well does an iPod perform for playing tracks in 2020?

[@ivanisrael4442]

Great Vid Alex thx for posting dude. One question is the DI BOX passive or active? Which one are you using? Thx again.

[@Alexdrum18]

Ivan Israel passive. It's a live wire Di.

[@shepopovich]

Great video! thanks. I see that your dual XLR goes to your iPod, giving you the click and music... i only have my iPod doing the click. Will the 2nd channel come directly from the house board and plug directly into the 2nd channel? Sorry, just interested in trying this out!

[@Alexdrum18]

Sheila Popovich Are you just having a click track or do you have a back track going also? If your just doing a click track for yourself you wont need to send anything to front of house.

[@juanh1093]

How can you add 2 mics to your current setup? So only you can talk through mics and hear through the ears ONLY?

[@dexstarnz]

So so what do you need if you want to get the back track and click to the drummer ?

[@teedrumz2019]

could I run 2 sets of in ears out of this? one for me the drummer and one for the keyboardist?

[@dozer5000]

This is a great vid. Question though. What if I need a monitor feed also?

[@Alexdrum18]

Venue should have a line they can give you to plug in to your mixer. It will usually be a 1/4" cable. For the mixer I use in the video it would go into channel 3/4. Just make sure to keep the fx/ax all the way down so that it doesn't send to front of house. From there you can play with the pan and volume.

[@poppapunker6238]

What if two people need the click? (Drummer and Guitarist) Would that mixer still work?

[@hairulbohari]

hei Alex, Good video going on here! :) I'm interested to know a couple of things: 1) when preparing the backtrack, could you advise on whether the click track should pan on the left or the right side and what about the volume? 2) Will the sound of the click track and back track automatically split when we use the split connectors for the channels on the mixer? Sorry, learning a lot of stuff here and i'm just keen to find out more.

[@Alexdrum18]

Hairul Bohari 1. Click panned all the way to left and backtrack to the left. 2. Yes.

[@shllwmusic5639]

does that mean that during performances, the drummer will only hear the back track and click in their in ears? or can they still hear what the rest of the band is playing too?

[@gr1mhammer]

I have an electric drum kit and in-ear monitors I wanna use, but I’m a solo artist that also sings and that’s gonna have to have a different setup for each place I play at, especially if they don’t have their own PA system. Any tips or resources you guys can point me to so I can learn the best way to setup my rig? I have no sound engineering knowledge beyond what I set up myself at my place.

[@JackChampionMorgan]

Do you think it would work to just use a stereo/mono spliter (once you got a voice with click and track panned opposite sides) And just send the click to the drummer and the track to the PA?

[@xxxYugooxxx]

Yes this is how I do it. Click Track & What the drummer wants to hear mixed left. What you want the P.A to hear mixed right. Tablet > Stereo to Left/Right Mono cable > 2 x Mono Male to Stereo Female adapter > Right Channel Aux Cable to Mixer / Left Chani Headphones to drummer. This way drummer loses the ability to control the volume of Click Track. But you'll have less gear.

[@sandrajaeger3125]

just curious, from the DI box you have a mic line going to the house mixer .. obviously for backing track purpose. But how does the house mixer know you're wanting what is panned right? I was shown another set up of going from the ''right output'' of mixer to a DI then a mic cable from there to house which makes sense but this video left me confused only in that regard. Everything else makes total sense, thanks

[@Alexdrum18]

For the way I have it set up I control both the click track and the back track on the mixer through the aux channel. I keep the click track all the way down and the back track about half way up. This makes it so it's only sending the back track to FOH.

[@bkrendan12]

@@Alexdrum18 i have everything set up but what is happening with the XLR out of the dI box that you say goes to the FOH? If I'm at my band space and have a Mackie mixer that has our PA speakers going where is the XLR from the DI box going on the big main Mackie mixer? like what input?

[@jesan3609]

If I use 3.5mm to Two 6.3mm instead of 2 XLRs, would it be okay?

[@runawaykings4918]

so if in the recorded back track mix if i pan the click to one side and leave the backtracking as is will it still be stereo through the house speakers or?

[@Alexdrum18]

I believe so.

[@FrankSantora-py4qd]

I have 2 questions. I didn’t get the name and kind of the short guitar cord and where does it get plugged into. Second question is are both FOH speakers playing only the backing track and not the click ?

[@germanbierma8795]

Could you make a tutorial where good show connections you explain everything there? I'm from chile and I care a lot this topic

[@Alexdrum18]

I'm a little lost at what exactly your wanting to see.

[@MrSoupyPoopies]

I'll go ahead and say that's pretty nifty little bro

[@zeratulalbo]

Would this work if you use a simple cable with 1/8 stereo pulg in one extreme and RCA stereo in the other? Each RCA would end up in a different channel in the mixer. and the stereo plug in the mp3 player. Sorry if question is lame. I'm just starting to work with backing tracks and click.

[@Alexdrum18]

zeratulalbo it probably would but I believe using the 1/4" cable will be better quality

[@EggGrips]

Sorry I'm confused, if anyone can help please reply, so will the track going to front of hose only be in the right speaker? As well as in the in ears being in the left ear phone?

[@michaelpendergrass6401]

Great video but if my band only has one mixer can this method still work at practice is speakers are plugged into main out?

[@Alexdrum18]

Michael pendergrass I believe you will need another mixer

[@Yveslennertz]

is the one channel good enough for front of house?

[@tonybergeron4226]

WIll this keep the bleedover out of the Mains?

[@Pamjay22]

So i have a question, where do you plug in your iem?

[@gonzaloabal6]

Hi, I'd like to know , how to hear only de backing tracks on the monitors and the click on the headphones. Thanks!

[@robertfoster6761]

This set up allows exactly what you are looking for. Just make sure in the DAW or music editing software the click track gets panned 100% left side and the track gets panned 100% right side. Then just follow the instructions in the video. Hopenit helped

[@hellbubblez]

how do you set your software and DI box?

[@royrmatthew834]

Sir.. How to connect the headphones amp for the gigs? I mean for 6 people can hear the click tracks..

[@jamesdareck9028]

Hey dude, very nice video. Can I plug other XLR from main mix and use it as a monitor?

[@Alexdrum18]

If you mean plug another xlr into the mixer for use as a monitor for yourself, yes. Just make to to set that channel only to your in ears.

[@jamesdareck9028]

+Alex Frazzoni Thanks a lot, very helpful video.

[@johngroh9138]

Are the click and backing tracks two different files that you combine in the app? Or is it one file with the click panned hard left and backing track panned hard right?

[@xxxYugooxxx]

It's one channel.

[@jamesparkishana3509]

How do you get click to come out both sides of your ears

[@Pyarsa]

What's the purpose of the DI box here? Thanks for the video, very informative.

[@BALES5000]

It's basically a quick connect for the sound guy at any club.

[@peteryousef5177]

hello, please i have question. if i connect Trs to 1/4" Male TRS to 1/4" Female TS Insert Direct-Out Adapter ? can change insert to work a direct our ? or sec ,way if i connect TRS male to adapter Ts female to trs male. can change the insert to work a direct out ? yamaha MG 166 C

[@FrankSantora-py4qd]

Where do you plug in your IEM’s ?

[@vernalynluz6928]

is it ok to use TS cable instead of Xlr?

[@scottkinsey4392]

What are you using for click?

[@goddamnzordan]

and those 2 XLR cables are mono now?

[@joshuapaulbaylon9481]

where did you get the click track?

[@jimmytmcc]

Any way to get this where the click will come through both sides of the in ears?

[@abrahamsotelo6188]

it is not necessary to pan channels when you run your backing track channel into the aux output.

[@krizkibblewhite2351]

I've tried this but I keep hitting the same problem. I'm using Garage Band. I've got 2 track. 1: click track 2: backing track. I've got the click pan Left and the track pan Right. But because the backing tracks are in stereo, when I pan I loose half the track. Does that make sense? If so what can I do? Many thanks

[@kedreanadamsthedrummer7238]

Does it work with the X32 ??

[@DirtyJobsGuy1]

My only question is with the “Y” cable. If you had say an iPad for the back track, and a separate click track machine like a Boss, you would have 2 individual cables running to channel 1 & 2 correct? Their wouldn’t be a need for the Y cable right?

[@growponics9170]

I tried something like this once. You can do it...but good luck getting the backing track and the click track lined up exactly, and in a timely manner for live purposes. I was not successful, myself.

[@ericteachesgunsafety8862]

I'm confused??? how does the FX send only send the channel 2 signal???

[@Jeremy_Sims]

I see How this works but I thought those slots were for the Mics "Talkback" for Musician's to communicate with each other.

[@goddamnzordan]

do you ever get bleed/crosstalk with Iphone? my click is bleeding thru backing track always...

[@Alexdrum18]

Yes. I have had the same weather going through an iPhone/iPod or even computer. Still messing around with that problem. It is very common though.